Our three-year strategy sets out the vision of the Association of Directors of Social Services Cymru (ADSS Cymru), the voice of professional and strategic leadership of social care services in Wales, to safeguard all individuals and to make a positive difference to the well-being and independence of people who access care and support in Wales.
The strategy, which covers the period 2018-2021, identifies five priority areas of activity that ADSS Cymru will engage in through its programmes of work, to achieve its ambition. These are to:
- argue the case for strong and responsive social care services
- give citizens real control and a stronger voice
- enable people to live their lives fully and achieve what matters to them by focusing on preventative services and support
- build on citizens’ strengths and the strengths of those around them, particularly in relation to safeguarding and personal responsibility
- support the professional development of the social care workforce to provide the highest level of care and support to our citizens.
With the weight of authority and expertise of its members – made up of social services directors and heads of children’s, adult and business services from across all 22 local authorities in Wales – ADSS Cymru has articulated how it plans to positively influence key decisions on social care, to ensure the greatest benefit for people with care and support needs, and the workforce that deliver these services.
Dave Street, ADSS Cymru President 2017-18, said:
“Our strategy identifies how we will work to achieve the best outcomes for people in Wales, and support our workforce to deliver the highest levels of care.
“The drive to deliver seamless, integrated services with the NHS, coupled with the pressures of operating in an environment with shrinking financial resources means that the national voice of professional leadership for social work needs to be raised now more than ever.
“We know that there is a need for social work to gain greater public awareness, because we are working with individuals and families at the point of prevention. If we are going to keep our population healthy, safe and active in our communities, then the development and investment in our social care workforce is non-negotiable.
“Our strategy demonstrates our commitment to challenging national government to prioritise policy and funding for social care, and to working with partners in other agencies to improve on services by sharing good practice.”
